Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 66

The Manuscript, Space, Stamp & Collectibles Auction

Artists

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 163		Adams, Ansel (1902-84) Photographer and conservationist; best known for his photographs of Yosemite National Park. Typed Letter Signed ("Ansel") in pencil with a small pencil drawing of his head at top left and the word "Wheeee!" in pencil after the first line of text, one page, 11 x 8½ inches, Honolulu, n.d. To Nick, on the morning of his departure for a trip to the mainland. In part: "…The Holder and packs arrived…The second batch of films arrived…the Adaptor works well; only a few bad corners (coverage) and a few cases of developer 'surge-back'…Exhibit in hand - just got letter from your organization…P.S. Last pictures here chieflt [sic] Hasselblad and 35mm type…Promoted the 4x5 before a group of local photogs and am pleased to report vast excitements!…." Fine; very large signature. Estimated Value $250 - 350 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $156
Lot 164		Catlin, George (1796-1872) American artist and author; from 1829 he devoted his life to studying the American Indian. He executed a series of portraits and sketches and wrote about living among them. Autograph Manuscript Signed in the first line of the text and signed and dated on the docket ("Catlin's Gallery By Himself, June 25, 1839"), three pages, 12¾ x 8 inches, n.p. Referring to himself in the third person, he asks for support of his art, setting forth a proposal for a National Indian Gallery. In part: "…stimulated by an ardent and enthusiastic desire to perpetuate something more than the mere History…of Indian life, Mr. Catlin set out for the wilderness…8 or 9 years since, with his brushes and his canvass - leaving friends and relations and the pleasures of civilized life, whilst he threw himself amidst the dangers & difficulties…of the Western Regions, with the hope and determination of reaching every tribe of Indians in North America and returning with portraits of the Chiefs and Warriors…views of their villages - paintings of their Religious Rites - their games and amusements - and specimens of their own manufactures…to form a Gallery Unique, as a living & lasting monument to a noble yet unenlightened race who are rapidly passing away….the artist has beheld, with deep distress, the rapid decay of the Red Men of the Forest, who are doomed to wither and die at the approach of the Civilized World…he had…reached 47 different Tribes…brought home with him the portraits & every thing else which could contribute to a just and perfect description of the Conditions, History & Customs of each tribe. His gallery now contains 300 portraits in oil, and 200 other paintings of landscapes of the Indian regions….That the numerous Tribes…are soon to be erased from the face of the Earth…is a fact conceded by all…it is to be presumed that all will applaud the persevering efforts which have been made by an individual single handed, to rescue from oblivion their looks & customs & manufactures…the vagueness & strangeness of Indian history would otherwise appear like vain and visionary tales of romance without the stamp of truth or reality….It has undoubtedly been the continual expectation of the collector of this truly National Museum, that the Government or some institution of this country would reward him for his labors, and treasure it as part of the Country's History, thereby…furnishing him with the means & encouragement to carry out his ambition by making further explorations and adding…the remaining Tribes which he has not yet reached. This Gallery is now exhibiting in the Stuyvesant Institute from whence it is to be removed in a very short time, & in all probability no other chance of examining its contents can be had in this Country." After his death, the Smithsonian Institution was given Catlin's works by the widow of Joseph Harrison of Philadelphia. He dream was finally fulfilled as The George Catlin Indian Gallery. Small tape repairs at top of both sheets; small edge splits at folds, and mounting remnants on blank page 4, else fine. Boldly penned. Estimated Value $80,000 - 90,000 View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 165		Moses, Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" (1860 - 1961) American folk artist who took up painting at the age of 70. Autograph Manuscript titled "Herbs are natures remedy," 3¼ pages, 10 x 8 inches, n.p., n.d. (c. 1935-40). Written on ruled paper; one page has small illustrations of medicinal plants pasted to the lower edge. Accompanied by a bold signature on 3¼ x 5½ inch paper. Grandma Moses gives remedies for all types of ailments, including hives, colds, nerves, diabetes, cold hands and feet, asthma, anemia, hay fever, bed wetting, high blood pressure, night sweats, and "for the system." She describes how to prepare the herbs, many of them to be taken as teas. Herbs include sarsaparilla, gentian root, burdock, juniper berries, wild plum bark, red clover blossom, St. Johns wort, uva ursi leaves, elder flower and berries, nettle, and many others. She writes, "A few of the most important diaphoretic and sudorific botanicals are, Sage leaves, Boneset, Life Everlasting, Sassafras Bark, Colic Root Elder Flowers." She also throws in a "Ginger bread recipe now over 150 years old." Fine; written in blue ink; a few scattered light stains, not affecting legibility. Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,500, Sotheby's, New York, June 1, 1995, lot 305, $1,400, View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 166		Sargent, John Singer (1856-1925) American artist. Autograph Letter Signed ("John S. Sargent"), Oct. 25, n.y. (circa 1917, date of Sargent's portrait of Rockefeller). On note card of The New Willard Hotel in Washington, to painter Alexander James, son of William James and nephew of Henry James. "I expect our notes crossed. Could we meet at Mr. Rockefeller's at, say, 3 o'c. on Monday afternoon? I will arrive at Edward Robinson's, 84 Irving Place on Sunday night, and might find a line from you there. I am so glad you like the portrait." James was hired on Sargent's recommendation to paint a copy of Sargent's own portrait of tycoon Rockefeller. Edward Robinson was director of the Boston Museum of Fine Art and later of New York's Metropolitan Museum. Sargent painted Robinson's portrait in 1903. Estimated Value $450 - 600 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $780
Lot 167		Sully, Thomas (1783 - 1872) American portrait painter; a student of Gilbert Stuart and Benjamin West. Autograph Document Signed (twice), one page, 9¾ x 7½ inches, Philadelphia, November 26, 1844. An invoice for a painting, "Portrait of Mrs. Robb & three children in group $600; Frame, & packing case made by Mr. Earle - $45/ $645. Received the above from Mr. McCallister [sic]." Integral leaf has a letter of C. Macalister to James Robb relating to a sight draft he furnished to Sully for the picture, bearing a blue round Philadelphia, PA postmark and manuscript "50". Robb was an early industrialist and banker. He formed several banks in various states and England and was the President of the New Orleans Gaslight and Banking Company. He facilitated gas lighting in Havana in 1844, the year Sully completed this painting of his family. Estimated Value $400 - 600 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $324
Lot 168		Whistler, James M (1834-1903) American painter, etcher, and lithographer. Autograph Letter Signed with his butterfly signature, two pages, 4 x 6 inches, n.p., n.d. "Edmund mon cher - we all talked of you last at the Great George's and all were most affectionate about you. You should not take this occasion to forget us all together. So I, for one, knowing from tradition, that others, distinguished under the same conditions of isolation, made for themselves pet companions, in their retirement, of plants and inferior animals --notably in the case of….a spider was his chosen--send you a butterfly that you should cherish as an emblem of hope and joy. Drive it not from you, my dear Edmund, for it brings my best wishes and loyalty…." Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,500 View details and enlarged photos	Unsold